Shelton Minor's dream of opening a Hollywood-style movie and TV studio in Trenton is coming true. The inside of the old 85,000-foot Hill Refrigeration plant on Pennington Avenue is being transformed into a series of studios, edit rooms, and recording facilities called Studio City New Jersey.
"We're going to do all the things people don't have access to, making the independent filmmaker, allow him to play on a larger scale," Minor said.
The expansive, gritty-looking second floor of the building at Studio City houses hundreds of props.
"Different things for shoots or movies that people might need, you never know what they'll ask for," employee Ed Grobes said.
The head of the state's Motion Picture and Television Commission, Steve Gorelick, thinks a facility like this in New Jersey can make a go of it.
"I think there's plenty of production to draw up. There's more production going on now that I think ever before with all the various media outlets and such, there's a real hunger for entertainment," Gorelick said.
The studio is expected to create jobs and revenue for Trenton.
"Pure private investment, no request for public money and an example of good old-fashioned American entrepreneurship," Jerry Harris, Economic Development Director, said.
Three films have already been shot at the studio which claims to have the largest green screen in the state.
Studio City owners know they won't replace New York or Los Angeles, but say Trenton may be more convenient and cost effective.
"This is a miracle to me and I will motivate a lot of my colleagues," casting director Roz Clancy said.
